Device for fastening and unfastening farm gates



June 27, 1967 R. WYCOFF 3,327,998

DEVICE FOR FASTENING AND UNFASTENING FARM GATES Filed Aug. 9, 1965 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 8 "3.. INVENTOR. RAYMOND 1.. WYCOFF BY $7 52 214M 4 A TTORNEYS June 27, 1967 R. L. WYCOFF DEVICE FOR FASTENING AND UNFASTENING FARM GATES Filed Aug. 9, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. RAYMOND L. WYCOFF EQMM ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,327,998 DEVICE FOR FASTENING AND UNFASTENING FARM GATES Raymond L. Wycotf, Wycotl' Brothers, Russell Springs, Kans. 67755 Filed Aug. 9, 1965, Ser. No. 478,215 4 Claims. (Cl. 254-131) This invention relates generally to devices for fastening gates and more particularly to an improved device for fastening and opening a wire gate or the like.

Gates for fences in common usage in rural areas frequently comprise a plurality of spaced wire strands attached at one end to a movable gatepost and having the opposite end secured on a stationary post. This type of gate is detachably secured adjacent its top and bottom to a stationary post with some type of fastening device which holds the gatepost securely with the wire strands stretched to some degree. When passage through the gate is required, the top fastening of the gatepost is removed, the gatepost is tilted to slacken the wire strands to permit its removal from the lower fastening after which it is moved manually to clear the gate passage.

Frequent opening and closing of the gate usually results in slacking the wire strands of the gate giving it an unsightly appearance and sometimes spacing the strands a sufiicient distance to encourage farm animals to extend portions of their bodies into the spaces between the strands sometimes resulting in injury to the animals.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved device for fastening and opening a Wire gate which is simple in construction, easy to apply to a stationary post or the like, durable and inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved device for fastening and opening a wire gate with which the gate is tightly and securely held in the closed position and which has substantial flexibility in adjusting the tension in the gate.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent as the description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a more complete understanding of this invention and further objects and advantages thereof, reference should now be made to the accompanying description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a device for fastening and opening a wire gate embodying this invention shown in combination with a gatepost, stationary fence post and looped strap;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the bracket shown in FIG. 1 positioned on the fence post;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the lever, eyebolts, chain and gatepost shown in FIG. 1 with only a fragment of the gatepost shown; and

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the bracket showing the lever pivotally attached.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIG. 1 there is shown a portion of a typical wire fence including a pair of spaced fence posts 2 and 3 set in the earth and a plurality of horizontally spaced wire strands 4 each pulled tightly and attached to adjoining posts at common elevations and forming a barrier between the fence posts. A wire gate for closing a passageway in the fence includes a stationary gatepost (not shown) and a movable gatepost 5. A plurality of horizontally spaced wire strands 6 each attached at a common elevation extend between post and its associated stationary post. A strap 7 is attached adjacent the lower end of post 2 as a bail and is spaced from post 2 for receiving and securing the lower portion of the movable gatepost 5.

3,327,998 Patented June 27, 1967 The device for fastening and opening the wire gate illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4 comprises a bracket 9 abutting top and side portions of fence post 2 and fastened thereto by suitable fasteners 10. These fasteners may be screws, bolts, nails or the like and in the alternative the bracket may be fastened by other means such as straps. A lever 12 is pivotally attached to the bracket 9 by a suitable fastener hereinafter described which may be a rivet, bolt or the like. A flexible member 13 preferably a chain having a plurality of links is detachably connected between the gatepost 5 and lever 12.

Lever 12 pivots through an arc between the closed or fastened position indicated in full lines and the open or unfastened position indicated in broken lines. With lever 12 pivoted to the closed position as shown it extends at an angle downwardly from the horizontal. The upper portion of gatepost 5 is pulled by lever 12 and chain 13 to a substantially vertical position thereby tightening the slack in wire strands 6. Bracket 9 and lever 12 are provided with apertures more fully described hereinafter which aline in the closed position to receive a suitable locking member such as a padlock 14.

To open the gate the lever 12 is pivoted upwardly toward the gate to a position about from the closed position where it extends at an angle upwardly from the horizontal. As shown in the drawings by broken lines in the open or released position the gatepost 5 pivots away from fence post 2 about strap 7 and is held attached to the lever by chain 13. The wire gate is completely released by detaching the chain from the gatepost and lifting the post from strap 7.

A preferred embodiment of the bracket 9 includes a fiat top portion 19 having a pair of spaced apertures 19a and a depending side portion having an aperture 29a through which suitable fasteners such as nails, screws or the like extend to fasten the bracket to the fence post 2. An upright portion 39 of the bracket extends upwardly from one side and lengthwise of the top portion 19 and terminates short of one end thereof. Upright portion 39 includes a lever aperture 39a which receives the pivot pin 21 and a lock aperture 39b in suitably spaced arrangement.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 3 lever 12 is preferably an elongated strap rounded at both ends and'including a pivot aperture 12a centrally of the strap and adjoining one end. A lock aperture 12b is provided inwardly and below aperture 12a.

Chain 13 is detachably coupled to gatepost 5 by an eyebolt 16 having a threaded portion extending through an aperture adjoining the top of the gatepost 5. A nut 17 threads over the end of the threaded portion and a selected link in the chain is looped over the hooked portion of the eyebolt 16. The opposite end of chain 13 is attached to the lever preferably by an eyebolt 18 which extends through an aperture 12c intermediate the ends of the lever. This eyebolt 18 is suitably secured to lever by a nut or by welding, riveting, or the like.

Lever 12 is pivotally secured to the upright portion 39 of the bracket by a fastener 21 (FIG. 4) acting as its pivot, such as a rivet, nut and bolt assembly or the like. Lever 12 pivots about fastener 21 with a portion of its side surface sliding over upright portion 39 which alines the lever movement through the arc of movement from the open to the closed position previously described. Lock aperture 12b of the lever alines with lock aperture 39b of the upright portion when lever 12 is in the closed position to receive the locking device such as the padlock 14 previously described.

With the device above described using the lever arrangement the amount of force required to open and close the gate is reduced. The variable length of the chain and its easily detachable connection to the gatepost pro vides a wide range of closed gate positions with selective variation in the amount of tension in the wire strands of the gate. This device is simple in construction and easily attached to various sizes and shapes of fence posts.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth and described, it is to be understood that certain modifications could be made by a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.

I claim:

1. A device for fastening and opening Wire gates comprising a bracket including a top portion and a depending side portion for abutting a top and a side surface of an upright fence post and having means for attachment thereto, an elongated upright portion extending upwardly and lengthwise along a major portion of the lengthwise extent of said top portion and having an upright flat exterior guide surface, a lever pivotally attached to and in slide engaging relation with and alined by said exterior guide surface of said upright portion for pivoting between open and closed positions, and a flexible member of variable length secured on said lever for detachable connection with a movable gatepost whereby the gate may be alternately pulled tightly to a closed fastening position adjoining the stationary fence post and released to a gate opening position by selective movement of said lever between said closed and open positions.

2. A device for fastening and opening wire gates comprising a bracket including a top portion and a depending side portion for abutting a top and a side surface of an upright fence post and having means for attachment thereto, an elongated upright portion extending upwardly and lengthwise along a major portion of the lengthwise extent of said top portion and having an upright flat exterior guide surface, a lever pivotally attached to and in slide engaging relation with and alined by said exterior guide surface of said upright portion for pivoting between open and closed positions, and a chain having a plurality of lengths secured on said lever by an eyebolt for detachable connection with a movable gatepost by an eyebolt whereby the gate may be alternately pulled tightly to a closed fastening position adjoining the stationary fence post and released to a gate opening position by selective movement of said lever between said closed and open positions.

3. A device for fastening and opening Wire gates comprising a bracket including a top portion and a depending side portion for abutting a top and a side surface of an upright fence post and having means for attachment thereto, an elongated upright portion extending upwardly and lengthwise along a major portion of the lengthwise extent of said top portion and having an upright flat exand closed positions, the lever including an aperture positioned to aline with said lock aperture in said closed position, lock means for extending through said alined apertures to lock the lever in the closed position, and a flexible member of variable length secured on said lever for detachable connection with a movable gatepost whereby the gate may be alternately pulled tightly to a closed fastening position adjoining the stationary fence post and released to a gate opening position by selective movement of said lever between said closed and open positions.

4. In combination, a gate including a movable gatepost, a stationary fence post, a looped strip attached near the lower end of said stationary post for receiving the lower end of the gatepost and a device for fastening and opening wire gates, said device comprising a bracket including a top portion and a depending side portion for abutting a top and a side surface of said fence post and having means for attachment thereto, an elongated upright portion extending upwardly and lengthwise along a major portion of the lengthwise extent of said top portion and having an upright fiat exterior guide surface, a lever pivotally attached to and in slide engaging relation with and alined by said exterior guide surface of said upright portion for pivoting between open and closed positions, and a flexible member of variable length secured on said lever for detachable connection with a movable gatepost whereby the gate may be alternately pulled tightly to a closed fastening position adjoining the stationary fence post and released to a gate opening position by selective movement of said lever between said closed and open positions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 882,692 3/1908 Kidder -328 1,063,151 5/1913 Wiltse 160-328 1,392,934 10/1921 Glandt 292247 2,564,821 8/1951 Smith 25478 2,747,910 5/1956 Salmon 292-247 OTHELL M. SIMPSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR FASTENING AND OPENING WIRE GATES COMPRISING A BRACKET INCLUDING A TOP PORTION AND A DEPENDING SIDE PORTION FOR ABUTTING A TOP AND A SIDE SURFACE OF AN UPRIGHT FENCE POST AND HAVING MEANS FOR ATTACHMENT THERETO, AN ELONGATED UPRIGHT PORTION EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND LENGTHWISE ALONG A MAJOR PORTION OF THE LENGTHWISE EXTENT OF SAID TOP PORTION AND HAVING AN UPRIGHT FLAT EXTERIOR GUIDE SURFACE, A LEVER PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO AND IN SLIDE ENGAGING RELATION WITH AND ALINED BY SAID EXTERIOR GUIDE SURFACE OF SAID UPRIGHT PORTION FOR PIVOTING BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS, AND A FLEXIBLE MEMBER OF VARIABLE LENGTH SECURED ON SAID LEVER FOR DETACHABLE CONNECTION WITH A MOVABLE GATEPOST WHEREBY THE GATE MAY BE ALTERNATELY PULLED TIGHTLY TO A CLOSED FASTENING POSITION ADJOINING THE STATIONARY FENCE POST AND RELEASED TO A GATE OPENING POSITION BY SELECTIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID LEVER BETWEEN SAID CLOSED AND OPEN POSITIONS. 